Road accidents are the biggest non-disease killers of men in India, and suicides the biggest killers of women, an analysis of National Crime Records Bureau data for 2013 shows.
The NCRB’s data is a compilation of police reports; all deaths reported to the police figure in these statistics. The vast majority of deaths in India are however on account of disease, which the NCRB does not count; of the 95 lakh annual deaths in India, only 5.7 lakh people died in 2013 in murders, natural disasters, accidents and suicides.
Road accidents killed over 1.17 lakh men in 2013, more than the number killed by the next two biggest causes of unnatural death – suicide and murder – put together. Railway accidents and drowning round off the top five causes of accidental deaths for men.
For women, however, suicides are the biggest cause of accidental death, killing over 44,000 women annually. Last year, an international study led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation found that suicide had become the leading cause of death in women aged 15-49 in India, ahead of maternal disorders related to child birth, the historic big killer of women in developing countries. Road accidents come next killing over 20,000 women annually, followed by fire, poisoning and murder.
“These causes have a lot to do with occupational status in India. The bulk of travel for work is by men, and the road and rail accident statistics reflect that,” Dr. P Arokiasamy, professor in the department of Development Studies at the International Institute of Population Studies, and expert on fertility and mortality, told The Hindu . “Similarly for women, fire – whether accidents in the kitchen or from mala fide reasons – is a major cause of death,” Dr. Arokiasamy said.
Accidents are a major cause of death among younger adults, but for those 60 and above, non-communicable diseases are the biggest causes of death, he said. The ongoing Million Death Study, led by researchers from the Centre for Global Health Research in collaboration with the Registrar General of India, is finding that four categories of non-communicable diseases – vascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, tuberculosis and cancer – are the leading causes of death in adults aged 30-69.
Just three states – Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu – account for a third of all road accidents. Most deaths on the road involve two-wheelers, followed by trucks or lorries and car. Over 12,000 pedestrians died on India's streets in 2013.
“Family problems” are the biggest official cause of suicides for both men and women followed by illness. The two most developed states – Kerala and Tamil Nadu – have the highest suicide rates among the big states. In all states and across age groups, men commit suicide at a higher rate than women.
Top 5 causes of unnatural deaths for men in India 2013 | |
Road accidents | 117055 |
Suicide | 90543 |
Murder | 24721 |
Railway accidents | 23639 |
Drowning | 23111 |
Total deaths from all unnatural causes | 427934 |
Top 5 causes of unnatural deaths for women in India 2013 | |
Suicide | 44256 |
Road accidents | 20368 |
Fire | 11488 |
Poisoning | 10182 |
Murder | 9180 |
Total deaths from all unnatural causes | 141283 |
Source: NCRB statistics of police cases |
